Golconda

Golconda

(gŏlkŏn`də), ruined city, Telangana state, SE India. It was the capital (c.1364–1512) of the Bahmani kingdom, but after 1512 it became the capital of the Muslim sultanate of Golconda. The legions of Aurangzeb, the Mughal emperor, captured the city in 1687, after which Golconda gradually fell into ruin. The main feature of the city is its fort on a hill 400 ft (120 m) above the plain; it was large enough to house the administration, the army, and families of the rulers. There are also ruins of palaces and mosques. At its peak, the city was famed for the diamonds found to the southeast and cut in Golconda; its name has come to be associated with great wealth.

Golconda

 

a feudal state in India during the 16th and 17th centuries. It came into existence in 1512 as a result of a collapse of the Bahmani state. Its founder was Shah Quli Qutb, the former Bahmani viceroy in Varangal. He founded the Qutb Shahi dynasty. Golconda was a rich state with highly developed textile and other crafts and was famous for its diamond production. In 1687, Golconda was annexed to the Great Mogul state.

Golconda

fabled Indian city, meaning “source of great wealth.” [Indian Hist.: NCE, 1101]

See: Treasure

Golconda

a ruined town and fortress in S central India, in W Andhra Pradesh near Hyderabad city: capital of one of the five Muslim kingdoms of the Deccan from 1512 to 1687, then annexed to the Mogul empire; renowned for its diamonds